St. Andrew’s Kabare

I’m tired after a long day of hot, dusty driving, but the day has been a very good one. John Maruti, a Kenyan who has become a friend and a brother, drove me 2.5 hours into the interior of Kenya to visit St. Andrew’s. Maruti is a gentle man, a committed follower of Jesus. The drive to and from St. Andrew’s did not feel long because of how much we enjoyed each other’s company. He shared with me much of his life story, and he listened appreciatively as I shared mine. There is much love in this man, and much strength. I like many things about him, but I especially enjoy watching the way he smiles when he talks about his wife Daisy – they have been just a little over a year.

Kabare is hotter and dustier than Limuru, but there is beauty there as well. Close by the school runs a lovely river, and the grounds of the school itself are well kept and attractive. St. Andrew’s is an exciting place to be: the school is growing rapidly, there are building projects in progress, and they have a faculty who “carry two sticks” – academic excellence and spiritual formation. Much of what I have said concerning the work-load at other schools applies here. Canon Moses, the principal, emphasized to me that their lecturers work very hard, and I must come ready to devote myself to extensive preparation. He is extremely dedicated to his students, and is not one who will let just anyone stand before them. Nevertheless, he is very excited about the possibility of my coming, and he is ready to talk business.

The living conditions are similar to Limuru. We would live in a rather large home (4 bedrooms) within the compound, but here we are even farther removed from Nairobi. There are no other white people on staff. In fact, I realized that I really was deep in Kenya by the fact that people actually stared at me. A white person in other parts of Kenya is nothing new; here s/he is a bit of an oddity. So in Kabare we would be immersed in African culture as well, but in a way significantly different from that of Mombasa.

I must also mention the library. The resources are quite decent, but the real treasure is their wooden doors. Four of the doors have carved into them scenes from the life of Jesus: the feeding of the five-thousand, the sharing of the cup, the crucifixion of Jesus, and the empty tomb. On a wall in the stairwell is a long carving depicting 12 Kenyans, six on either side of Mt. Kenya, each group facing the other. In the middle of Mt. Kenya is a cross. All of Kenya, united together through salvation in Christ. Above this piece is a circular stained glass window quartered by a cross. All of these pieces are powerful and distinctly African, and they are the first artwork I have seen.